Configuring Remote Desktop access

When Remote Desktop or Remote Assistance is allowed on a device, you can connect to the machine using Remote Desktop or Remote Assistance. When you are connected to the remote computer, you can use that computer as if you have signed in locally and perform all the management tasks that your user account has the right to do. This makes Remote Desktop a particularly useful tool.

Using Remote Desktop

To use Remote Desktop, you first need to create a remote desktop connection by taking the following steps:

1. Type Remote Desktop Connection in the search box on the taskbar.
2. Click on Remote Desktop Connection.
3. Then, fill in the full name or IP address of the remote computer, as in the following screenshot:
   

   Figure 9.6 - Remote Desktop Connection window

4. After that, click on Connect.

   For now, we will just discuss how we can connect to a remote computer, not all of the different connection properties. You can configure additional connection properties by using the options in the tabs, as shown:

Figure 9.7 - Various connection properties of an RDP connection

As you can see in the previous screenshot, there are four tabs that you can use to configure your RDP connection properties. It is advised that you look through these connection properties. If you need to connect to a computer multiple times, then you can save the configuration to a .rdp file.

Instead of starting a Remote Desktop session through the Graphical User Interface (GUI), you can also start a Remote Desktop session via the command line with some parameters. You will learn more about this in the next section.

Customizing the Remote Desktop settings from the command line

The Remote Desktop Service app can be accessed by running mstsc.exe from the command line or from the Windows Run dialog box. This command allows administrators to start the application with several parameters configured.

There are different command-line syntaxes that you can use for mstsc.exe, which are as follows:

mstsc.exe [<Connection File>] [/v:<Server>[:<Port>]] [/admin] [/f] [/w:<Width> /h:<Height>] [/public] [/span]

mstsc.exe /edit <Connection File>

mstsc.exe /migrate

We will now explain some of the parameters from the preceding example:

• <connection file>: Specifies the name of the .rdp file
• /v:<server>:<port>: Specifies the remote computer and, optionally, a different port number
• /admin: Connects you to the administering session of the server
• /f: Starts the Remote Desktop session in full screen mode
• /w:<width> /h:<height>: Specifies the width and height of the Remote Desktop window
• /public: Runs Remote Desktop in public mode, which means passwords and bitmaps are not cached
• /span: Spans the Remote Desktop session across multiple monitors
• /edit <connection file>: Opens the specified .rdp file for editing
• /migrate: Migrates legacy connection to the new .rdp files

An example of executing a Remote Desktop session to the PACKTDC1 server, spanning the session across multiple monitors, is shown in the following screenshot:

Figure 9.8 - An example command line for executing mstsc.exe

You can also start configuring RDP files through the GUI or the command line. You can also configure Remote Desktop with GPOs in an AD DS domain environment. To configure these settings, take the following steps:

1. Open Group Policy Management.
2. Then, locate the appropriate GPO.
3. Open the GPO for editing and navigate to Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Remote Desktop Services, as shown:

Figure 9.9 - The Remote Desktop Services GPO setting

As you can see in the previous screenshot, there are three more subfolders with settings that you can configure for Remote Desktop Services.

In this section, you have learned how to connect to another computer with the Remote Desktop app or via the command line. In an AD DS domain environment, you can use a GPO to configure these settings. You now know how to work with Remote Desktop, so we can proceed on to understanding the next tool—Remote Assistance.

Using Remote Assistance

To use Remote Assistance, the user must be at the computer that they are having problems with (for example, a software issue). The user must initiate a Remote Assistance session and the remote user must approve the connection before it can be made.

You can request remote assistance by taking the following steps:

1. Type Remote Assistance or Invite someone in the taskbar's search box.
2. Then, choose the Invite someone to connect to your PC and help you, or offer to help someone else option.
3. This will open up the Windows Remote Assistance wizard. Then select the Invite someone you trust to help you option, as shown:
   

   Figure 9.10 - The Do you want to ask for or offer help? window

4. After you have clicked Invite someone you trust to help you, you have three options to send this request to your helper. The following screenshot shows you these three options, which are Save this invitation as a file, Use email to send an invitation, and Use Easy Connect (only available if enabled):
   

   Figure 9.11 - The How do you want to invite your trusted helper? window

5. After your helper receives the invitation file and opens it, a secure connection is set up and the helper can help you with your problem.

You now know how to use Remote Desktop and Remote Assistance, but Microsoft also released a new tool called Quick Assist. In the next section, you will learn how you can use this tool.

Using Quick Assist

Microsoft Quick Assist is the successor to Remote Assistance and was introduced to Windows 10 version 1607.

Quick Assist lets two people share a computer over a remote connection so that one person can help solve problems on the other person's computer, just as with Remote Assistance. The version of Windows 10 that you have installed may determine whether Quick Assist or Remote Assistance is available to you.

To start with Quick Assist, follow these steps:

1. Type Quick Assist in the taskbar's search box and then choose Quick Assist.
2. The Quick Assist app will open, as in the following screenshot:

Figure 9.12 - The Quick Assist start screen

The previous screenshot shows how, depending on your situation, you can choose from the following options:

• If you want to get assistance from someone, fill in the six-digit code that you received and click on Share screen.
• If you wish to assist someone, click on Assist another person and give the other person the six-digit generated code.

In this section, you learned how you can use the Remote Desktop, Remote Assistance, and Quick Assist tools to help another person resolve their problems.

To manage domain-joined or workgroup computers, you can also use Windows PowerShell Remoting. In the next section, you will learn what PowerShell Remoting is and how you can use it.